Client Decline Proposal Etiquette

[e89a0a05]

Hi, 

I submitted a job offer and have had a few proposals. What is the best etiquette for declining proposals? 
I wanted to send out messages to everyone thanking them for their time as I appreciate it emensly. Is that the normal etiquette for declining a proposal. 

Thank you for your feedback!

[williamtcooper]

Hey Erin, yes being as professional as possible is always the best policy. However, I must admit in my experience less than 10% of the businesses follow up with a message. Have a great day!

[e89a0a05]

Awesome! Thank you!

[erinvega2016]

Maybe not normal, however, I have had a couple of clients who have taken the time and sent me a little message thanking me for taking the time to submit a proposal and then letting me know that they chose another person for their project or they would keep my proposal at the top fo their list if the person they did choose didn't  work out. These replies gave me the were just the right amount of spark for me to not give up on my freelancing goals.

You definitely get Kudos from me!!

[wlyonsatl]

Erin,

It's a nice idea, but I doubt most busy freelancers expect you to reply to their unsuccessful proposal.

And I've had a fair few clients say they liked my proposal and will keep me in mind for future projects. I can't think of any that have actually done so, so it's not something I pay much attention to any more.

Proposals are like guided missiles - fire and forget. Just treat the freelancers you do work with professionally and honestly; that's as much as freelancers have the right to ask of clients.

[motoyen]

You can decline and Upwork gives you a box where you can state why but keep in mind that most proposals are done by bots of agencies and they won't even read your message. 

[martina_plaschka]

It's very kind of you to inquire about this, but don't do it. Most freelancers know that clients don't respond if they are not interested, and really don't care to receive messages unless the message is an offer or a further discussion of the task. 

Frankly, you are wasting your and the freelancers time. 

[abranen]

When I've met with a client and sent them a detailed proposal/estimate based on my conversation with them, I appreciate it when they followup to let me know if they decided to hire another freelancer. It's good business etiquette and UpWork should encourage it.

I don't expect to hear back when I've just submitted an initial proposal but haven't talked to the client.

[r2streu]

Unless you are establishing a connection in order to use the freelancer for another job in the future (or plan to), honestly, don't respond to proposals you aren't going to use. Like Martina said, most of us Freelancers don't expect a response if we didn't get the job. 
And this doesn't just apply to upwork. As a freelance voice actor, I send out multiple auditions a week. I neither expect, nor frankly WANT, to hear from people who aren't hiring me, if only because it's kind of a waste of both our time. Again, though, if you like the work and may want to work with that freelancer in the future, by all means, establish a relationship. Otherwise, don't worry--you're not going to hurt the freelancer's feelings by not responding. 

[ericaandrews]

I think it's good that you are trying to show professional decorum, and I personally remember  clients that take the time to do this because they are rare and stand out from the crowd.  The fact is that most clients do not do this.  However, just because 'everybody else' is behaving unprofessionally, doesn't mean you should feel obligated to behave in the same manner if that behavior is not what you would normally do.  You should conduct yourself based on your values, not what 'everybody else' is doing on Upwork. While I don't 'expect' any client to take the time to tell me they have selected someone else or have 'cancelled' the entire project, the ones that do are remembered positively. If I do an interview with or get an offer from a client and, for whatever reason, become  no longer available or no longer interested, I politely tell them. I don't just "ghost". That's rude. 

I have a great memory of how people behaved towards me. Meaning that if/when that same client approaches me again in the future , for another project (which has happened a few times), the positive impression they left makes me willing and open to discussing the new project with them. 

On the other hand, I also remember clients I spoke/interviewed with that 'ghosted' and never updated me with the outcome. Some of those clients have later approached me again for other projects, and my answer was an immediate "No, thank you. I'm not interested."  I don't work with rude or unprofessional clients.  I am a fan of manners, etiquette, and decorum, and expect the same from a client. A client that behaved unprofessionally on our first interaction has already shown me they are not a 'good fit' for a future work partnership - at least not with me.

[nathanramos]

I've never had a client send me a decline letter, it would be very nice to get one.

[86c631fc]

If I share my experience then I have seen more proposals on those jobs where Clients post more and clear job description in Job Posting. BTW appreciated.

[3dcf27b4]

very few people and businesses have courtesy